A wealth of great food options were available on the Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise, including sumptuous brunches that featured seafood options, carved beef, omelet stations, pastries, specialty drinks and more.

A wealth of great food options were available on the Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise, including sumptuous brunches that featured seafood options, carved beef, omelet stations, pastries, specialty

The Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise is all about rlaxing, whether it's napping on a deck chair, reading or playing Scrabble. The multiple sea days on a transatlantic cruise give cruisers ample opportunity to take it easy.

The Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise is all about rlaxing, whether it's napping on a deck chair, reading or playing Scrabble. The multiple sea days on a transatlantic cruise give cruisers ample

Among events scheduled on the Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise are brunch buffets featuring everything from appetizers to carved beef, omelets made to order, specialty drinks, pastries and more.

Among events scheduled on the Celebrity Constellation transatlantic cruise are brunch buffets featuring everything from appetizers to carved beef, omelets made to order, specialty drinks, pastries and more.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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This drawbridge is at Leeds Castle in Kent, England, the last stop on a transatlantic cruise with the Celebrity Constellation. The castle dates to 1119. King Henrty VIII transformed the castel for his first wife, Catherine; his daughter Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned there before she became queen.

This drawbridge is at Leeds Castle in Kent, England, the last stop on a transatlantic cruise with the Celebrity Constellation. The castle dates to 1119. King Henrty VIII transformed the castel for his first

Could two Type-A personalities spend seven days on a ship with no land in sight — and no more on their schedule than reading, sleeping in deck chairs and going to onboard entertainment venues?

That was the dilemma Mark, my husband, and I faced when we signed on for a 15-night Celebrity Constellation trans-Atlantic cruise.

On our first cruise in the '90s, we'd learned our favorite days were those at sea. We loved the unstructured time and lazy pace that forced us to take it easy. But we'd only had sea days in short doses, usually only one or two per cruise.

Would 10 days of a 15-day cruise at sea drive two normally super-busy people a little crazy?

It took us less than a day to discover we'd worried for nothing. Shipmates we met, many of whom had taken the same cruise previously and picked it for the precise reason of multiple days at sea with limited port stops, felt the same.

Trans-Atlantic cruises, often known as repositioning cruises as ships move from one continent to another as seasons change, are becoming increasingly popular, said Bernhard Stacher, former Celebrity Constellation hotel director and now hotel director on the Celebrity Silhouette.

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As Stacher explained, early ship travel between the states and Europe was the only way passengers had to get from one continent to the other.

“If you're not in a rush, it's still the most romantic way to go to Europe,” he said.

Our 2,000-passenger cruise was sold out several weeks before our departure; one crew member told us that repositioning cruises used to sail only partially full; those days are changing as passengers are drawn by the idea of relaxation and bargain prices.

A seven-day cruise in the Caribbean, while fun in its own right, gives you little time to enjoy the ship itself, explained Stacher. “Many prefer to go on ships that are alive on cruises,” he said. “It's alive all the time. At sea, there are events going on all day.”

Indeed, it was true, starting with early morning breakfast and exercise classes and ending at 2 a.m. with a late movie.

We never got bored. It helped that the Constellation, affectionately known as “The Connie,” offered a wealth of activities from which to choose. You could walk through the ship and see Scrabble players deep in thought, bridge players intent on their next card played, foodies attending cooking demonstrations, and readers with books or Kindles in hand.

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10 things you should know before taking a trans-Atlantic cruise

1 Generally, passengers are older and a bit more serious; there's lots of book reading and game play vs. heavy drinking and partying.

2 Per night, the cruises are generally less expensive than traditional ones.

3 There are more onboard activities, lectures, classes, demonstrations and seminars, so you have an opportunity to learn while traveling.

4 There's more opportunity to eat on sea days, so you have to be especially careful to watch your diet.

5 The waters can be rough crossing the Atlantic; select a lower floor, deck 2 or 3, which is less affected by the water's movement if you tend toward seasickness.

6 You lose an hour nearly every day you're traveling to and from Europe, so it can mess with your sleep.

7 One-way airfare can be expensive; we met several cruisers who take a trans-Atlantic cruise twice a year (cruising to Europe and flying back to the states in the spring and flying to Europe and cruising back in the fall), which allows them to get a round-trip ticket.

8 Weather can vary widely; bring clothes you can layer so you don't overpack.

9 Trans-Atlantic travelers are more experienced travelers; this probably isn't the best cruise choice for a first-time cruiser.

10 Where a Caribbean cruise attracts North Americans, a repositioning cruise attracts a more international crowd.

Because of the length of a trans-Atlantic cruise — our Celebrity Constellation cruise started in Fort Lauderdale and ended 16 days later in Amsterdam — they tend to draw an audience that can be away from family and work for longer periods of time. Adding travel time to and from the ship's departure and destination points, we were gone 17 days, something that we couldn't have done when our children were younger.

That's not to say that all the cruisers were older. One young family needed a high chair at their table for their toddler; a group of teens gathered by the pool each day to play board games.

In fact, so content were we with our lazy schedule that rather than look forward to our first stop in the Azores, we were disappointed that we had to rise early to sightsee. After a week at sea, our schedule allowed us a day in the Azores, then another sea day, a stop in Lisbon, two sea days, then back-to-back stops in Cherbourg, France; Le Havre, France; and Dover, England, before docking in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Connie, which made its debut in 2002, was overhauled, or Solsticized, as Celebrity calls it, in May 2010. The ship is known for its dramatic atrium with marble staircase and artwork including a “Word Thief” sculpture made of strings of words. Though we've been on more expensive cruises, and on another ship in the same cruise line, we'd never seen service as professional, yet friendly, as that on the Connie.

Former hotel director Stacher said the Constellation's cruises sell out for that reason, as well as the popularity of entertainer Perry Grant, who packed the Michael's Club lounge nightly. Having plenty of nights at sea meant we could sleep in late, allowing us to go to midnight movies, enjoy leisurely dinners in the Ocean Liner's specialty restaurant and go for spa sessions and exercise classes. And then there was the frost-topped martini bar, complete with juggling bartenders, a popular before-dinner spot, and the relaxing, adults-only Thalassotherapy pool.

Would we take a sea-day packed trans-Atlantic cruise again? Not only would we, it's the only kind we're considering for our next vacation. After all, when two stressed-out people can so relax that the thought of an upcoming tour of France momentarily sounded like a lot of effort, you know you've learned what a restful vacation is all about.